Since the 1960s, the Bank of England has been printing significant people from British history on the official British banknotes. Most of us handle bank notes every day, but if I were to ask you to close your eyes and tell me who the people on the British bank notes are, would you be able to name them?

Even upon digging into wallets and pulling out the notes, most people may be surprised to find that they don’t recognise some of the historic figures honoured on English bank notes. But fear not! The answers are close at hand! Continue reading →

When you talk to people about their dreams or about their bucket list, a very common one you’ll hear is: “I want to write a book one day”. Your average person who has this dream knows that they want to write because they feel like it, and they leave it at that, not giving it much deeper thought. This article is for anyone who is looking to understand their own dream if they have an urge to write a novel, or for anyone who doesn’t share the desire to write a book and is looking to understand this dream that some people have. Continue reading →

With the popularity of emails, SMS messages, online chat and the TV show Gossip Girl, it’s very common to see people signing off with “x kisses” or xoxo hugs and kisses. But have you ever stopped to wonder the origin of the xoxo hugs and kisses symbols? Continue reading →

If you live in the United Kingdom or have recently visited, you may have noticed that British red post boxes have some writing on them. There are two most common post boxes that can be categorized by their embossed writing:

Most of us in the Westernized world are familiar with the dentist’s office, and many of us are equally familiar with the butterflies and unease that accompany an impending visit to the dentist. For these people, they may find themselves asking: “Do I have to go to the dentist?” This article looks a little into why a visit to the dentist can be useful and important. Continue reading →

Every time the World Cup or Euro Cup soccer is on, I find myself wondering why the Italian football shirts are blue. Common sense dictates that it should be green, white or red like the flag – so where did blue enter the equation?

This year whilst watching the Euro 2012 final between Italy and Spain, I finally resolved to investigate and here’s what I found: Continue reading →

Since the late 1800s when the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Club was founded there has been a strict dress code: competitors in their Tennis Championship games could wear any color… as long as it was white! But every time I watch Wimbledon I can’t help but wonder why this rule was established. Why do tennis players wear white at Wimbledon?

It seems that there are quite a few theories in circulation regarding this time-honored tradition. The following four reasons are the most often touted ones: Continue reading →